An elderly woman delayed a flight by throwing coins into the plane's engine for good luck

An elderly woman delayed a flight from Shanghai on Tuesday after throwing coins into the plane's engine for good luck, Yahoo News reported, citing Chinese officials.

The 80-year-old was detained by police after throwing nine coins into the engine of a China Southern Airlines flight. She missed the target with all of the coins but one, which a passenger saw and reported to the authorities.

"A senior passenger threw coins to the plane's engine and delayed the flight. The passenger involved has been taken away by police," China Southern Airlines said in a statement. "In order to make sure the flight is safe, China Southern maintenance has conducted a full exam of the plane's engine."

After the incident the flight was delayed for several hours and around 150 passengers were forced to evacuate, according to Yahoo News. The woman was traveling with her husband, daughter and son-in-law.